iOS 16 is found to add native support for first-party Nintendo Switch controllers

Apple had a gaming-centric section for nearly every phase of the software side of its WWDC 2022 keynote, the advancements in Metal for macOS Ventura included. However, it now appears that there was even more in this vein that did not manage to fit into the Cupertino-based presentation.

Riles, or @rileytestut on Twitter, has announced a discovery that might delight those who want to use their Nintendo Switch controllers on their iPhones as well. The developer has established that the accessories now show up on the flagship mobile devices as pairable devices by name.

This works for the Pro Controller as well as Joy-Cons - separately or as a pair, in the latter case. They can be found listed under My Devices in Bluetooth Devices or as a Game Controller within iOS 16.

A fused pair of Joy-Cons has been demonstrated to show up as a singular MFi Controller. Of course, the version of iOS in which this new jailbreak-negating feature has appeared is version 16's initial developer beta; therefore, it is only to be hoped that it makes it to the general stable release.

Nevertheless, the Apple engineer Nat Brown has acknowledged and verified Riles' report, and has offered some tips on how to get the most out of this new native Nintendo controller support (hold each of the bottom face buttons on a pair of Joy-Cons until they pair as one device, and do the same to separate them again): a potentially encouraging sign.

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